Pump construction for candy depositing machines



Oct. 21, 1958 e. s. PERKINS 2,357,082

PUMP CONSTRUCTION FOR CANDY DEPOSITING MACHINES Filed April 19, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g i l 8 1 1%:6 13 ,15 13 13 FIG.3. f

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Oct; 21,1958 6. s. PERKINS PUMP CONSTRUCTION FOR CANDY DEPOSITING MACHINES Filed April 19, '19s? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

I ttornev' PUlVIP CONSTRUCTION FOR CANDY DEPOSITING MACHINES George S. Perkins, Kew Gardens, N. Y., assignor to National Equipment Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 19, 1957, Serial No. 653,957 2 Claims. (Cl. 222-255) This invention relates to pump constructions, and more particularly to pumps especially adapted for use in confectionery-making and similar machines. Examples of the type of pump to which the present invention relates will be found in my Patents No. 2,510,317 dated June 6, 1950; No. 2,764,322, dated September 25, 1956; No. 2,765,962, dated October 9, 1956 and No. 2,771,225, dated November 20, 1956.

Pumps of this character are usually employed for the purpose of dispensing candy material or possibly other liquid, semi-liquid, or viscous substances from a reservoir or hopper into molds, which molds are often formed in starch contained in trays that are moved into receptive position below the pump.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a pump of the character above described which will, because of its construction and operation, materially increase the output of a candy-making machine by enabling an increased number of mold depressions to be formed in the tray and to simultaneously fill such increased number of depressions through the use of a greater number of filling nozzles and elements co-operating therewith to deposit the candy material into the mold depressions.

..It is another object of the present invention to provide a pump in which the nozzles are arranged in staggered relation in order to enable them to be more closely spaced than is the usual practice and thus enable them to fill more closely-spaced mold depressions resulting in the production of more candies per tray. It is another object of the invention to provide a pump of the character described with numerous other features of novelty and usefulness and apparent to those skilled in this art. 1

With these, and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the portions of a pump to which the present invention relates;

'Fig. 2 is a-similar vertical sectional view, showing how the material is delivered from one of the pump cylinders through one of the nozzles;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through a portion of the nozzle plate;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the cut-off bar in position to permit of the delivery of the candy material from the cylinders into and out of the nozzles;

States Patent Fig. 5 is a plan view of the nozzle-carrying plate with the nozzles omitted;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a bar;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view through the cut-off bar shown in the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Fig. 8, the view being taken substantially on the line 7-7 of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view through a second embodiment of the invention, and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8, but with the cut-off bar in position to permit the delivery of the material from the cylinders, through the cut-olf'bar and through the nozzles.

A pump of the character herein described is particuportion of the cut oif larly adapted for use in confectionery machines, but is, In the form shown,

of course, suitable for other uses. the goods in liquid, or nearly-fluid form, is delivered from a hopper to the pump and is ejected thereby in predetermined quantities into molds, or else can be deposited on a suitable surface, travelling belt or other means, located below the outlet nozzles of the pump. In the drawing, a portion of the pump housing, which can be of known form, and similar to that shown in my patents herein mentioned, is indicated at 1 and the same is bored to provide a plurality of adjacent cylinders 2, in each of which is mounted a reciprocating piston 3. The particular pistons shown are of the so-called hydro-sealed type and are each provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves into which a fluid, such as water, contained in a recess in the housing may enter, the water acting as a sealing means. It will be understood that other types of pistons can be employed. Means is provided at the upper ends of the pistons for simultaneously raising and lowering the pistons in their respective cylinders, such means not being shown herein since it is well known in the art and is fully described in my herein-mentioned patents.

The lower end of each of the cylinders 2 terminates in an outlet opening 5 of less diameter than the diameter of each of the cylinders, and said outlet openings 5 are adapted at predetermined times, to register with uni- Provided at uniformly-spaced points, are feed passages 8 extending through the cut-off bar, and when the cutoff bar is moved toward the rightas viewed in Fig. 1,'

to the position shown in Fig. 2, the feed passagesjS will all become axially aligned with the outlets 5 of the cylinders. At the same time, this movement of the cut-off bar will disalign the grooves 6 from the outlets 5. It is apparent that when the pistons 3 now descend in the cylinders 2, the charges of candy material then contained in the several cylinders will be forced downwardly. through the outlets 5, through the passages 8, and out through the nozzles 9 to be now described.

The cut-off bar 7 is maintained position below the;

P aitented Oct. 21, s

cylinders, by means of the nozzle-holding plate shown at 10. This plate, shown in detail in Fig. 5, is, like the cut-off bar, of considerable length and may contain a very substantial number of nozzles, with the nozzles in each longitudinal row alternating or being staggered with respect to those in the next adjacent row. The nozzles 9 fitted in the nozzle plate 10, extend through the apertures 11 therein and each nozzle is provided at the top with a radial flange 12 which seats in the bottom of a counter-sunk seat or recess 13 so that the top of the nozzle is thus positioned well below the upper surface of the plate 10 as will be clearly apparent from Figs. 1 and 2. It will be noted that each of the recesses 13 is of greater diameter than the shank of each of the nozzles and the passage extending through the same. It is to be further noted that the outlets of the cylinders 2 are vertically disaligned from the nozzles 9, but these outlets are, however, within the areas defined by the recesses 13. The passages 8 in the cut-ofi bar are not staggered but are in straight-line arrangement both transversely and longitudinally of the cut-oif bar, as will be apparent from Fig. 6. The outlets 5 are also in straight-line, non-staggered relation.

From the foregoing, the operation of the described apparatus will be readily understood. The material, in liquid or semi-liquid condition, enters the grooves 6 in the cut-off bar 7, and while the cut-off bar is in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the outlet openings 5 in registration With the grooves 6, the pistons 3 are elevated and the material will be drawn upwardly from the grooves 6 and into the cylinders 2 below the pistons. When the pistons 3 reach their highest position, the cut-off bar 7 is then longitudinally shifted to disalign the grooves 6 from the outlet openings 5, and this movement brings the passages 8 into vertical and axial alignment with the outlet openings 5 as shown in Fig. 4. It will be noted that the lower ends of the passages 8 are brought into registry with the large-diameter recesses 13 in the nozzle plate above the nozzles 9. While the passages 8 do not have their longitudinal axes coinciding with the longitudinal axes of the passages through the nozzles 9, they are positioned above the recesses 13 which form pockets and thus the passages 8 establish through these pockets, communication between the outlets S and the nozzles 9. Since the recesses 13 communicate with the passages through the nozzles it is apparent that when the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 4, material can be forced out of the cylinders, through the passages 8, through the recesses 13 and out through the nozzles. Thus, when the pistons 3 are moved downwardly they will force the charges of the material out of the cylinders down through the passages 8 and out through the nozzles 9 substantially as shown by the arrows in Fig. 2, to be deposited into molds or onto a surface positioned below the nozzles. The means for slidably reciprocating the cut-off bar as herein described, may be that disclosed in my Patent No. 2,510,317 or may be some other means providing the necessary limited sliding movement of the cut-off bar from charge to discharge positions.

By the arrangement disclosed, wherein the nozzles are arranged in staggered relation in respect to one another, and with the passages 8 and outlets 5 non-staggered, and with the outlets 5 partially disaligned in alternately opposite directions With the nozzles 9, a maximum of nozzles can be employed and hence a very substantial increase in candy output per tray will be secured.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive, the housing 1, cylinders 2, pistons 3 and outlets 5 are similar to the equivalent elements found in the structure of Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. The nozzle plate 10 and nozzles 9 therein are also similar. In this embodiment, the cutoff bar consists of a hollow structure, having a hollow interior 21 forming a chamber that constitutes a common material supply manifold for all of the cylinders 2. The top wall 22 of the cut-off bar 20 has a plurality of openings 23 which are adapted, at predetermined times, to register with the outlets 5 to enable the material contained within the hollow interior 21 of the cut-off bar and supplied thereto from the hopper, to be drawn upwardly into the cylinders 2 as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 8, upon the ascent of the pistons 3. The cut-otf bar is also provided with a plurality of spaced tubes 24 which extend vertically and completely through the cut-01f bar. In Fig. 8, the charging position of the pump, the openings 23 are shown in alignment with the outlets 5 thus establishing communication between the cylinders and the hollow interior 21 of the cut-off bar. As the pistons are moved upwardly, a charge of the material is drawn up into each of the cylinders. The cut-otf bar is then shifted longitudinally to register the tubes 24 with the outlets 5 as shown in Fig. 9, and this brings the lower ends of the tubes within the recesses 13. When the pistons then descend, they will force the material down through the tubes 24 into the recesses 13 and therefrom down through and out of the nozzles 9 as shown by the arrows in Fig. 9 for deposit into the mold recesses or onto a surface beneath the nozzles. In this embodiment also, the nozzles may be arranged in staggered relation thereby providing a very substantial candy output per tray.

Having described embodiments of the invention, it is obvious that the invention is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a pump construction, a housing provided with a plurality of cylinders, each cylinder having a bottom discharge opening, a piston mounted for reciprocating movement in each cylinder, an outlet nozzle located below but axially disaligned from each cylinder dis charge opening, each nozzle having an enlarged circular mouth at its entrance end, a slidable cut-oft bar mounted in the housing between the cylinder discharge openings and the enlarged mouths of the outlet nozzles, said cutod bar having containing-chambers for material to be drawn upwardly into the cylinders by ascent of the pistons therein at a time when the cylinder discharge openings are in communication with said containingcharnbers, the cut-oif bar being provided with a plurality of straight, spaced, vertically-arranged passages extending completely through it, said passages being adapted when vertically aligned with the discharge openings to establish communication between said discharge openings and the mouths of the nozzles, the mouths of the nozzles being of such size and the spacing of vertical passages being such in relation to the positions of the cylinder discharge openings, that one end of each of at least most of the vertical passages will always remain in communication with the mouths of the nozzles during reciprocating movements of the cut-ofi bar and during its positions of halt for feed and discharge.

2. In a pump construction, a housing provided with a plurality of cylinders, each cylinder having a bottom discharge opening, a piston mounted for reciprocating movement in each cylinder and for halt at cylinder intake and discharge positions, an outlet nozzle located below each cylinder discharge opening but axially disaligned therefrom, each nozzle being provided at the top with a wide circular mouth, a slidable cut-ofi bar having transverse material-receiving grooves, from which material is drawn upwardly into the cylinders by ascent of the pistons therein at a time when the cylinder discharge openings are in communication with said material-filled grooves, the cut-off bar being provided with a plurality of spaced vertical passages extending through it between the grooves, said passages being adapted, when vertically aligned with the cylinder discharge openings, to establish communication between said discharge openings and the circular mouths of the nozzles without 2,857,082 5 requiring axial alignment of the discharge openings with the nozzles, the mouths of the nozzles being of such size and the spacing of the passages and grooves being such in relation to the positions of the discharge open- 2161190 ings that one end of each of at least most of the pas- 5 2510317 sages will always remain in communication with the mouths of the nozzles both during sliding movements I of the cut-off bar and during its positions of pause for 364,862 feed and discharge, the nozzles being arranged in rows, 695,329

with the nozzles in one row disposed in staggered rela- 10 1,071,476 tion to those in the adjacent row.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Paull June 6, 1939 Perkins June 6, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Dec. 4, 1922 Great Britain Aug. 5, 1953 France Mar. 3, 1954 

